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42°35′43″N72°13′34″W / 42.59528°N 72.22611°W /42.59528; -72.22611
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 Starrett Tools in Athol, Massachusetts | |
| Company type | Privately held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tools and instruments manufacturing |
| Founded | 1880 (1880) inAthol, Massachusetts, United States |
| Founder | Laroy Sunderland Starrett |
| Headquarters | Athol, Massachusetts, United States |
Key people | Douglas A. Starrett (President andCEO) |
| Owner | MiddleGround Capital |
Number of employees | 1458 (2020) |
| Website | www |
The L. S. Starrett Company is an American manufacturer of tools and instruments used bymachinists,tool and die makers, and theconstruction industry. It claims to produce 5,000 variations of precision tools, gauges, measuring instruments and saw blades as of 2025.[1]
The company was founded by businessman and inventor Laroy Sunderland Starrett in 1880. The company patented such items as the slidingcombination square, benchvises, and a shoe hook fastener. It makes precision steelrules andtapes,calipers,micrometers, anddial indicators, among others. In addition, Starrett manufacturers a wide variety of saw products includingbandsaws,hole saws,jigsaws, amongst other power tool accessories and cutting tools. More recently, they have expanded their high-end metrology equipment includingoptical comparators, vision systems, laser measurement, force and material measurement testing.
Starrett employed about 2,000 people worldwide as of 2008.[2] Manufacturing takes place at facilities in thePeople's Republic of China,Brazil,Germany, and theUK, with 28% of Starrett's worldwide sales being in Brazil in 2013.[3][4]
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Laroy S. Starrett invented and patented the firstcombination square in 1878.[5] Two years later he founded the Starrett corporation inAthol, Massachusetts, as L.S. Starrett Company to produce it and other precision tools. In 1882, Starrett traveled to London and Paris to appoint sales representatives.[citation needed] In 1887, Starrett acquired further patents.[citation needed]
In 1890, L.S. Starrett patented an improved micrometer.[6] During the same year Starrett began making and improving saw blades, and continues to be a major manufacturer as of 2015.[citation needed] In 1895 Starrett patented the divider with atrammel.[7] In 1920, the company added its first gauge to the product line and quickly became the world's largest innovator and maker of precision calibrators.[citation needed]
During World War II Starrett increased its production 1941-1945 by 800%[citation needed] and won theArmy-Navy "E" Award.[citation needed] At the same time, more than 400 employees went into the US armed forces. Starrett opened a factory inSão Paulo, Brazil, in 1956, moved 100 km in the early 1970s toItu.
In 1958, a plant was opened inScotland, which currently[when?] makes products for the European and Asian markets. In 1962, Starrett acquired the Webber Gage Company, a maker ofgauge blocks.[8] In 1970, Starrett took over granite product maker Herman Stone Co., relocating production to a new plant inMount Airy, North Carolina, in 1985 that also makes saws and measuring equipment.
In 1986, Starrett took over the Evans Rule Company, the world's largest tape measure manufacturer, and in 1990 the company bought Sigma Optical, a British manufacturer of optical profile projectors. In 1998, Starrett expanded into China, opening a new plant inSuzhou.[9]
In 2002 allegations of fraud were made against Starrett over its RapidCheck Coordinate Measuring Machine.[10] A Federal investigation found none and no charges filed.[11]
In 2006, L.S. Starrett Co. purchased Tru-Stone Technologies Inc. inWaite Park, Minnesota, a maker of custom-engineered granite machine bases, for $19.8 million in cash.[12]
In March 2024, with Douglas A Starrett as its President and CEO, L. S. Starrett Co. announced that it would be acquired byprivate equity firmMiddleGround Capital.[13]
On June 5, 2024, L. S. Starrett Co. announced that it had completed a merger with an affiliate of MiddleGround and became a privately held company.[14] This happens after it ceases to be publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange from May 22 as NYSE:SCX.
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